Just bought my Aunts car with 38,000 miles and it's gorgeous! Flew to MN to pick it up and ran out of fuel with 1/4 tank as I hadn't learned to dist to empty yet. No big deal so I filled it up and really topped it off. I noticed fuel all over the ground and saw it dripping from underneath the center of the car but as I drove, it would stop probably from using the fuel etc. The fuel gauge reads 3/4 and never any higher however. My Aunt then told me some random shop replaced the fuel pump last year and dropped the tank later realizing it could have been done under the back seat instead. I'm looking for a remedy for the spillage and for the incorrect readings on the Gauge. I'm a very Handy do it yourselfer! I drove it without issue 922 miles to Denver but never topped it off and always watched the Dist to Empty. Thanks!

 

Welcome!

Your trouble may well be figuring out whether the shop introduced problems that the cars don't otherwise have - as it sounds - and if so what those added problems are. None of us can know.

I guess inspect very carefully underneath as a start.

No fuel should be dropping out, so that's a very very bad sign.

Have a look at threads about tensioners as your car is one that's at risk.

 

I will pull the seat and see if the top of the tanks are tightly on....is this what you mean by tensioner? Did a search for it and didn't find anything.
I saw a thread saying the fuel gauge issue is caused by the jet pump feeding the main pump side. So confusing!

 

1. look in HOW TOs for tensioners
2. put
tensioners
in Search and read a while

 

Your fuel leak sounds like it's related to the filler tube -- either where it's attached to the tank or higher up. I second your notion of pulling the back seat and checking it, but I'd first climb underneath and see if you can find any evidence of a leak under there. Fuel leaks are no fun and really need to be fixed ASAP. Good luck with the inspection, hope you find the issue right away and can fix it with a bit of tightening or a new seal or something.

Tensioners have to do with the timing chain -- as suggested, do a search and sit back and read for a while, there's a ton of information around here.

Also, I just acquired an S-Type and have spent literally hours reading through the "Sticky" posts in the S-Type forum -- there is so much info there. I've downloaded tons of PDF files and read up on known issues, etc. If you haven't done so, I'd recommend perusing the "Sticky" posts.

Let us know what you find out when you remove the back seat.

 

Thanks OldMike! That's great input, I didn't think about checking the filler tube to the tank. I have a storage lift in my garage so will put it up and have a look!
Do you know why the recharge kit I bought for the A/C does not fit on the nipple of the low end of the system? Do Jags need a special fitting, ugh!

 

Should fit - are you on the wrong port?
Not a good way to go unless you have gauges too, though.

 

Thanks for the input JagV8! It has a gauge and I'm on the port that's on the right hand side of the car as you are standing in front of the car. The port points out wards towards the front of the car also. Strange! I'm taking it over to the auto parts store where I purchased it to show them.

 

Sounds like the wrong port. Doesn't only one of your gauge connectors fit it? (There's a reason why, which'll be obvious when you see which of the connectors it is!) Look under car (remove wheel or turn steering).

 

Also, look at the fuel pump plastic retainer and O-Ring. JTIS calls for the O-Ring to be replaced when removing the fuel pump assembly. Since these guys dropped the tank I'll bet they didn't replace the O-Ring and might have damaged the blue plastic retainer as they also probably didn't have the right tool to get the retainer off. Finally, they may have not installed the pump assembly in correctly throwing your fuel gauge off.

These three issues would cause fuel leaks

 

What a weekend! I got under the back seat and found the fuel sender had been put in wrong. There are two directional arrows on the top if the sender unit and two on the top of the Fuel tank. One arrow matched to the tanks and the other was pointing elsewhere. I turned it so both arrows aligned with the ones on the tank, this allowed the float to work properly. When I removed the plastic ring I notice the o-ring had fallen in or maybe was never put on correctly to begin with. I put it all together and between two of us and a couple giant screw drivers, got it all tightened down, went to fill up and had no leakage and had a gas gauge that read full for the first time. I'm so happy as a do-it-yourselfer to have accomplished this on everyone's tips from The Jaguar Forum. My hands killed me for a day but I saved big $$$. ALSO, I had it up on my lift and found the low end A/C connector and after adding the oil and 1-1/2 cans of r-134 it measured in the green and blew ice cold! What a great weekend! Thanks Everyone��

 

Your work is just starting!

Please get the free service manuals on this site. You need the JTIS and the JEPC these are the two things the dealer uses to repair and order parts. Well worth it!!

Don't ignore the tensioners! They will destroy the engine if not taken care of.

A/C system was low because you have a leak. So be prepared to fix it unless you want to keep adding Freon.
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I'm finding this site a bit difficult to navigate, I go to the S-type then within that I search for tensioners. Should I read stuff on tensioners for xj8's etc. also, Don't see a how to section and even searched for that. Ugh!

 

When you get to the S-Type forum, read...